Vro delete and go with fuel mix?

[Njohnson6425]

I have recently come in possession of a 1996 Hydra sport boat that has a 1998 Johnson 150HP 2 stroke motor that has the vro. I was wondering how trustworthy these vro systems are, and does it automatically come on when you start the motor? Would I be better off mixing the oil in with the fuel and if so what ratio?

 

[Lord Tywin]

I did my 89 70HP as there was an issue with the VRO not throttling back at idle. The VRO is part of the fuel pump so when one fails, the other does too. Lots of people will blame their oil pump when it was actually a different problem. These VRO pumps are very reliable but take the blame a lot. If you are changing your fuel pump I'd consider it as it is significantly cheaper without the VRO. If so, go 50:1 and enjoy your day!

 

[gm280]

While I never had any engine with VRO, I can only go by the people on here that think it is a good idea to forego their VRO and use mixed. However, I am sure there are tons of boaters that are used daily without any problems and like the variable oil setup. If I had such a system, I would make sure all maintenance we covered to make sure it works. Surely they wouldn't have gone to such a system if it was so bad. But that is just my opinion.

 

[havoc_squad]

While I never had any engine with VRO, I can only go by the people on here that think it is a good idea to forego their VRO and use mixed. However, I am sure there are tons of boaters that are used daily without any problems and like the variable oil setup. If I had such a system, I would make sure all maintenance we covered to make sure it works. Surely they wouldn't have gone to such a system if it was so bad. But that is just my opinion.

+1

If you do the regular annual VRO maintenance of checking the VRO oil output per the factory service manual steps, then it might be worth keeping it.

If you want a low maintenance setup, then it's best to do a complete VRO system delete and run pre-mix 50:1 TC-W 3 gas.

 

[dingbat]

Real world, first hand experience.....I'm running a 1996 Ocean Pro 200 that is now on it's second power head.

Put almost 2,200 hours on the first engine with zero maintenance of the oiling system. Fill the 3 gallon oil tank and go.

Installed a new fuel pump, oil line and oil tank (oil permeating thru walls) when I repowered (short block) 4 years ago.

Going on a 700 hours on the new engine. Expect to get another 2,000+ hours from this VRO system as well.

So, contrary to boat ramp "urban legends", the VRO pump is a simple and reliable oiling system that has been standard equipment on most OMC outboards from 40- to 300-HP for the past 20 years. Most of the misinformation and "scare tactics" about its reliability originate from those who do not understand how the system works, or fail to keep it maintained.

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VRO.html

 

[appleo]

25 year old VRO pump. if it fails and the warning buzzer / sensor doesn’t work. then possible major damage

I just premeasure oil needed for 6 gallon tank. and store in used soda or water bottles. easy to remember one bottle per 6 gallons

 

[gm280]

I agree with the pre-mix idea to some extent, but when you don't know how much fuel is remaining, how do you know what mixture you need? With a portable 6 gallon tank, it isn't hard to open and see, but if you are using a built in tank, you only have a fuel gauge as your guide. And if you haven't checked how accurate your fuel system is, how do you really know what is in there for additional mixtures? A VRO takes care of all that. But to each their own. I am neither arguing for or against either decision. Only asking questions...

 

[dingbat]

I agree with the pre-mix idea to some extent, but when you don't know how much fuel is remaining, how do you know what mixture you need? ..

Whats remaining isn’t relevant. You add 25 gallons of fuel, you dump in a 1/2 gallon of oil.

What gets tricky is when you start mixing 150 gallons of fuel split between 2 tanks of different sizes.....

No thanks. I’ll add my oil 3 gallons at a time and make sure System Check” goes through its initiation sequence when I turn the key

If it means anything...I premix the 4 gallons for my golf cart ..lol

 

[gm280]

Whats remaining isn’t relevant. You add 25 gallons of fuel, you dump in a 1/2 gallon of oil.

What gets tricky is when you start mixing 150 gallons of fuel split between 2 tanks of different sizes.....

No thanks. I’ll add my oil 3 gallons at a time and make sure System Check” goes through its initiation sequence when I turn the key

If it means anything...I premix the 4 gallons for my golf cart ..lol

Yes, I do see your point. Never had a boat with that much fuel onboard. Merely Bass boats without any serious issues.